David Robert Mitchell's impressive if derivative debut doesn't delve so much into a myth as a mini-genre. Nor does it much deal with sleepovers in particular as with adolescent initiation rites in general, falling within the tradition of American Graffiti (1973), Dazed & Confused (1993), and even Superbad (2007). Once again it's the end of a season — summer in this case — and teens in a Michigan 'burb are discontented as they ponder what to do. Some are at the age when the title activity has inched from innocence to sexual exploration and others are old enough to dismiss the glories of adulthood as a "myth." But Mitchell is interested in more archetypal mythology as he follows the generic template, languidly interweaving the stories of his characters, played by a cast whose acting is naturalistic to the point of affectlessness. Their charms are subdued but seductive, and by the end Myth is not just touching but profound.
